Enough of the was and let’s get into what is.

In book 24 of Barbara Park’s Junie B. Jones’s book series, Junie B., First Grader: Boo… and I MEAN It! when her thoughts begin to consume her she realizes, “Only how can you not think about a situation if you’re trying not to think about a situation? I tapped my fingers very frustrated. Then, all of a sudden, I saw my journal on my desk. And a good idea came in my head. ‘Cause sometimes if you write your problems in a journal, it makes you feel better about things.” 

While I’ve come to learn that the writing process is a little more complicated than just that, my girl Junie B. was definitely on the right track. It was her line of reasoning that made me realize that although there are challenging topics, writing can be a safe space. 

My love for writing was initially fostered by my love for reading. Growing up I spent my summer days reading whatever I could get my hands on, from Huckleberry Finn to Geronimo Stilton. Reading how young heroines like Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones, and Pippi Longstocking were able to be their quirky rambunctious selves without shame encouraged me to do the same, not only in my writing but in life.

Stories like those are what inspired me want to create my own stories. I would write my stories down and my mom would type them up because, at age seven, I was unfamiliar with the intricacies of Microsoft Word. My first story was based on an action-filled depiction of, at the time, my best day ever spent with my uncle where we went to the mall, Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Subway. Fast-forward from seven to seventeen and while my idea of the “best day ever” has changed from what my younger self used to believe, my personal interests have not.

Now having the ability to use the computer myself, I went into journalism on a whim, and man I am sure glad I did because as it turns out I am a journalist at heart. The process of taking an event or what someone says and crafting it into an article is a serendipitous process that I’ve learned to cherish. At this point in my career, I’ve determined that I am a "generalist" writer meaning I write anything from politics to pop culture. There are so many exciting avenues to go down that I’m still exploring. While I’m learning about this career path, I’m also learning about myself.

The interesting thing about telling people that I am a journalist is that they immediately want to dismiss it, asking backhanded questions, like “What do you plan to do with that?” or my personal favorite, “Why would you pay money to learn to write?” With the rapid decline of print media, I can understand this line of questioning to a certain degree — however, to those shouting from the rooftops proclaiming that journalism is dead, respectfully you are both loud and wrong. 

Journalism comes in many shapes and sizes so saying that “it’s over” is simply incorrect. However, it would be ignorant to not acknowledge the real threat to journalists is increasing and will likely continue in the next four years. All we can do is keep up the work we started and keep the people informed about the truth.